Single Review – Dylan Tauber –

Dylan Tauber is an Israeli producer, writer and DJ with over 20 years in the electronic music business. Best known for ambient and trance electronica, Tauber is known for his penchant for aquatic-inspired sounds. To mark the 20 year anniversary of his first album, Double Mirrors Soundtrack, Tauber released his 11th and 12th album, respectively. One album was a retrospective-sized compilation of greatest hits, and the other he named Dolphin Trance 2. This album, released last September, contains remixes and variations of his most popular songs, as well as six new ambient tracks.

“Sun Rays” is one of the six new tracks on Dolphin Trance 2, and arguably one of his best in recent years. A deceptively simple track, “Sun Rays” features a vocalist named Enlia, who is also featured heavily in the other songs on the album. In “Sun Rays”, Tauber features her voice in a beautiful way whilst creating an almost impenetrable wall of sound. The track opens with an orchestrally-composed swell of synthesizers which follow a pulsing wave pattern throughout the song. A multitude of synths are layered on top of each other in order to create a swirling nebula of sound. There is no discernible beat, yet the ebbing and flowing of the layered synth tracks creates a binaural-like which seems to surround the listener on all sides. Enlia’s clear soprano joins this gentle wall of sound to create the melody, “Sun Rays” becomes literally full of sound on all levels, which are expertly produced, by the way.

The six ambient tracks on Dolphin Trance 2 showcase the reason why Tauber is considered a master of the form. He uses the pauses and negative space between the notes to connote just as much emotion as the notes themselves, a key component of any experimental music. “Sun Rays” is a beautiful example of this style, which Tauber has clearly mastered. Dolphin Trance 2 is available to stream in full on Tauber’s Soundcloud page, and his entire catalog can be purchased via a number of sites, all listed on his website.